Interesting take on Felix's mechanics

Much has been made lately about Felix Hernandez's mechanics in light of his tender elbow -- Google "Felix Hernandez mechanics" and you'll see all the people jumping on the bandwagon -- but this is hardly a new thing for the big Venezuelan, who always has had a pretty violent delivery.

If you don't frequent Lookout Landing -- and if you're an M's fan, why don't you? -- jump over there to check out the interesting piece Jeff has put together analyzing Felix's motion based on some scientific evidence about what might actually put a pitcher's joints at risk.

This paper suggests a possible issue, giving us some evidence based on scientific investigation that Felix's delivery may put added stress on his elbow, and a potentially considerable amount, at that. It could be nothing, or it could be Felix's "natural" (and therefore uniquely safest) body position when throwing, but let's put it this way - if I were a high school pitching coach, and I had a young pitcher who threw with Felix's degree of tilt and elbow height, I'd work with him to change it by making his body a little more upright, and bringing his elbow down closer to perpendicular to his side. Just because it might not pose a problem doesn't mean you shouldn't still try to play the odds.

Of course, with Felix, it's a little different. When you have a guy as flipping extraordinary as Felix, you don't screw around with his delivery, not when he's already established himself in the Majors. The potential benefit of better health just isn't worth the potential cost of Felix losing his identity as a young phenom. So, in situations like this, you sit back, enjoy the performance, and cross your fingers that nothing gets wonky in the elbow or shoulder.

It's a well-reasoned, well-researched post that raises some interesting things to watch for -- and also cautions us to take it for what it's worth: Conjecture, albeit a little less of the subjective variety.